


The Love Language of Death

by lydia_rogue



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: 5+1 Things, M/M, No epilogue spoilers though, no beta we die like zagreus, post-ending spoilers, transgender Thanatos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:29:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28995276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lydia_rogue/pseuds/lydia_rogue
Summary: Thanatos doesn't know how to tell Zagreus he loves him. Eventually he figures it out.(Or - five times Thanatos doesn't say the word love, and the one time he does.)
Relationships: Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 106





	The Love Language of Death

**Author's Note:**

> First foray into Hades fanfiction, I'm very excited to be here. 
> 
> If you're here from my RWBY fics, yes I'm still in FNDM and writing RWBY fics here and there. My world fell apart in the last two years and I'm still picking up the pieces, largely by writing smaller less-intense things. I'll be back, at some point, if only to finish what I started.

1.

The insinuation Thanatos had tracked down Zagreus in the fields of Elysium to do Lord Hades’ dirty work makes his stomach churn. He hates that Zagreus was trying to leave the underworld - trying to leave _him_ but he would never stoop so low as to try and stop him from escaping. 

He offers, instead, a contest - something they have done many times before. It lacks the gentle banter that usually accompanies their sparring matches, and Thanatos wonders if Zagreus understands why he is so upset. He’d never told Zagreus about his feelings; he had been working up the courage to somehow tell him. 

Now it seems as though now may be his last chance.

But when the killing contest ends and Thanatos rounds on Zagreus to give him a piece of his mind, he still hasn’t thought of what to say.

“You left, without so much as telling me good-bye. I suppose you knew I’d catch up with you sooner or later, is that it? No escaping death, and all?” Thanatos demands, even as he flings a centaur heart at Zagreus for besting him in the contest. The irony of offering up _a_ heart when all he wanted was for Zagreus to take his was not lost on Thanatos. 

Zagreus looked him dead in the eye, mismatched gaze unwavering and his voice steady with the resolve that had carried him to Elysium in the first place. “I left when it was necessary, Than. I thought of you and hoped you’d understand. I have to do this.”

“That’s more motivation than I’ve ever heard from you. Well, if you won’t say it, I’ll say it. Good-bye, Zagreus.” Thanatos manages to say without his voice cracking, disappearing in a flash of green light. 

He immediately regrets his words and hopes it’s not the last thing he ever says to his best friend. 

2\. 

It took a while, but Thanatos eventually seeks out Zagreus again, this time with a small trinket to help keep him safe as he tries to escape. Thanatos knows he would never be able to stop Zagreus from trying to escape the underworld, nor would he be able to help his friend as much as he’d like. 

Instead, he selects a trinket - a butterfly pin that had been a rare mortal offering to him - and imbues it with some of his power. It would encourage Zagreus to stay safe and avoid damage - and provide him with extra attack power when he does. 

But before he could say anything to Zagreus after their competition, Zagreus walks up to him with a smile and a bottle of… nectar? 

“It isn’t much, Than, but I got you something.” Zagreus says, thrusting the bottle at Thanatos, previous conversation apparently forgotten - or forgiven. 

Thanatos couldn’t think of what he’d wanted to say about the trinket. It was all he could do not to blush. The nectar was still contraband in the House of Hades and he shouldn’t be seen with it. Flustered, he took the bottle and dropped the butterfly pin into Zagreus’ hand. “You want me to take that off your hands, fine. But you are taking this from me, and if anybody asks, we’re even.” He tries not to let his hands shake as he becomes increasingly flustered at the thought of what had just transpired. No, no one should be asking about this at all. “Or, scratch that, don’t tell anyone about this, understand?” 

He barely waits around long enough to hear a startled, “Thank you, Than,” before he blinks out of the chamber. 

3.

Thanatos finds himself on the balcony of the west hall, staring over the River Styx. It’s his favorite spot to think - this time to ruminate over the messy feelings he’s been having for Zagreus. After the first few, disastrous, run-ins during Zagreus’ escape attempts, the two of them had found an easy rhythm. Thanatos would find Zagreus somewhere in the underworld and help him under the guise of managing the souls of whatever section they were in - usually Elysium, these days. 

They had spoken several times recently - apparently Zagreus had been making it past the champions of Elysium and into the Temple of Styx. 

A body - unique in maintaining its physical form - floats down the river towards the pool in the great hall, and Thanatos’ heart skips a beat when he realizes it must be Zagreus. Shades didn’t have a physical form by the time they reached the Styx. 

But the god that pulls himself from the pool, dripping with the blood red waters of the River Styx, is not Zagreus, but instead Lord Hades himself. 

No one in the house dares as much as breathe - even Orpheus cuts off his song mid-word - as the larger-than-life god shakes the water from his hair and stalks into his bedroom, the slamming door echoing throughout the building. 

Thanatos grips the railing of the balcony, tight enough that his knuckles turn white. He had never asked Zagreus what awaited him beyond the Temple of Styx, but now he had his answer. 

Zagreus is _gone_. 

Thanatos closes his eyes, trying to remember the last thing he’d said to Zagreus. It hadn’t been that long ago - a quip about killing shades together, perhaps - and Zagreus had said…

Already he couldn’t remember; it had been one of a dozen encounters in Elysium and they all had blurred together after a while. He should have realized - should have known that after some 30? 50? Failed attempts, Zagreus would eventually make it out and any encounter could have been their last. 

He didn’t even get to say goodbye. 

There was a gentle call of a nearby soul reaching the end of their life, so Thanatos took the chance to leave without having to see the fallout of Lord Hades having been killed.

* * *

The verdant field causes him to pause - he is still in Greece, of that he is certain, and yet this place is as green as the endless summer before Demeter had withdrawn her blessings. 

Thanatos looked around - surely no one was dying here, in this beautiful garden of _life_ \- but then he sees a woman grabbing for a falling figure, and he moves towards their side to be with them. 

Thanatos does not recognize the blonde woman, but the man in her arms, oh… 

She’s weeping over Zagreus, who has grabbed on to her chiton. “However… long… it takes…” he whispers as the River Styx begins to lap at his feet. His next words are lost as his body goes slack. The river recedes as Thanatos approaches, knowing not to infringe on his domain like this. 

There are tears streaming down her face as she looks up at Thanatos. “You’re here to take him away, then? He’s bound, like his father, and can’t stay here long.” 

He can only nod, eyes going wide as he recognizes Queen Persephone. “Of course, my Queen.” 

“You’re Nyx’s child, aren’t you? I remember you…” She pauses to let him fill in the gaps of what had changed in the years since she’d left. She’d left before he’d realized he was a man.

He gently gathers Zagreus’ limp form into his arms. “Thanatos,” he offers. “I’ll see Zagreus safely home.” 

She grabs his wrist. “Before you go, tell me - is he… kind?” 

Thanatos looks down at Zagreus, unable to resist brushing his hair back from his closed eyes. “The kindest god I know,” he says. “Determined. Brave. Everything a mother could want from her son.” Or a god from his partner.

“Thank you, Thanatos. I’ll see you both soon, I suppose. Take care of him for me, will you?”

He nods, unable to find his voice, and vanishes in a puff of bright green light that’s nearly lost amongst the flora. 

4.  
Zagreus wakes up in bed, unsure of how he had gotten here. 

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he looks around the room, pausing when he sees _Thanatos_ sitting on the lounge chair he’d picked up. “Than?” 

“You’re awake,” he says, standing up. “Good - I wanted to make sure you were all right.” 

Zagreus frowns. His last escape attempt - _fuck_. He pulls his knees up to his chest. He’d gotten out. He’d been successful - only to die on the surface, unable to stay. “As well as I can be, I suppose,” he says, pressing his cheek into his knees and looking away from Thanatos. “I take it you brought me home, then?”

“You passed gently, for once,” Thanatos says by way of explanation. When humanity outgrew the capacity for one god to reap all the souls, he began to only personally ferry the souls of people who died of illness and old age. “You’ll go back, won’t you?” 

Zagreus nods. “I have to - even if I can’t _stay_ there, I have to see my mother again. Best of both worlds, I suppose. I won’t leave you and I can keep seeing her.” He swallows hard, willing down tears. “For a bit. I know it’s not what you want, and you’re - rightfully - upset with me for trying to leave, but ” 

The mattress shifts as Thanatos puts his weight on one edge and touches Zagreus’ shoulder. “I’ll be there to bring you home,” he says. 

“I don’t want to take you away from -” 

“Zagreus,” he says, gently chiding. “I’ll do my best to help you get there - the least I can do for you is to ensure you get home safely.” There’s a moment when Zagreus turns to look at Than and he thinks - for the briefest moment - he might be leaning in to kiss him, but the moment is gone and Thanatos stands up straight. “I’ll see you out there,” he says before vanishing in a flash of green light.

5.  
Thanatos stood by his usual spot on the west wing balcony, trying to keep a neutral face. _Someone_ had commissioned furniture for him from the house contractor. He’d thought about setting Mort, the small rat companion his mother had stitched him years ago, on the lounge that had appeared, but he didn’t want to leave Mort to his own devices. 

He was glad he had finally found Mort again, but Thanatos wasn’t going to keep him. As a cthonic companion, Mort could be used as a protective talisman of sorts, allowing someone to summon Thanatos in a moment of need. 

“You’ll be happy with Zagreus,” Thanatos reassures Mort (and himself) before tucking him back into a pocket of his chiton, a smile flickering across his face at the small squeak he got in response. 

Thanatos doesn’t turn around even as someone approaches him. He takes the extra moment to ensure he maintains his composure, knowing it was almost certainly Zagreus approaching. 

“Hey Than.” Thanatos turns around only to be completely lost for words as Zagreus holds out not the usual bottle of nectar, but a much more ornate bottle. “For all the times you’ve bailed me out, and just, all the times you’ve been around for me… I thought I’d get you this. The real thing,” Zagreus says, grinning from ear to ear. 

Thanatos stares. “The real thing…?” he echoes, unsure before it clicks. It’s _ambrosia_. “Where did you even… _tsk_.” His face flushes a deep gold. “Isn’t this just a bit excessive, Zagreus?” he asks, reaching into his chiton. “Though if you’re going to embarrass me, you know what, I am going to reciprocate. Behold!” He holds out Mort. 

Zagreus takes the rat, eyes going wide. “What, Thanatos, is this… you’re really giving Mort to me? I… I’m deeply honored!” 

Zagreus gently strokes Mort with a single finger, and Thanatos manages a small smile before disappearing once again. 

Mort was a poor substitute for words to express how Thanatos felt about Zagreus, but perhaps his squeaks would do for now. 

+1

Time passes. Zagreus summons Thanatos regularly to help with his escape attempts, apparently carrying Mort with him more often than not. 

It takes time, but at some point Thanatos and Zagreus start dating. 

But somehow Thanatos still hasn’t managed to express the depth of his feelings for his partner. 

At first, he hadn’t been able to admit to himself how he really felt. Now that they were dating and he had, he avoids the conversation by telling himself it’s too soon - they have all of time to be together. 

Zagreus is out on one of his escape attempts and Lord Hades is missing from his usual seat in the great hall - both of them gone for much longer than they usually were. 

Thanatos pays close attention to his feelings, waiting for the summons to the verdant garden so he can bring Zagreus home. 

Maybe some day he’d go early and meet Zagreus’ mother properly with him, but for now, he let his partner reconnect with his mother on his own. 

Lost in his thoughts, he almost misses the sharp clang of the garden gate being opened. Everyone - even the head chef and wretched broker - stops what they’re doing and looks towards the sealed-off garden area.

A hush falls over the house as Lord Hades walks out, followed closely by Zagreus, Cerberus, and… Queen Persephone. 

Thanatos doesn’t hear the announcement that Lord Hades makes, sending most of the shades scurrying back to the job they’re supposed to be doing, to enthralled by the fact that Zagreus has somehow brought the queen _home_.

Zagreus’ face lights up when he sees Thanatos, walking over to take his hand. 

“Than! She came home with me,” he says, tears bright in his eyes. 

Thanatos raises their clasped hands and presses a kiss into the back of Zagreus’, sure that no one is looking at them when Queen Persephone has returned. “That’s wonderful, Zag,” he says. 

“You should come meet her,” Zagreus says, tugging gently on Thanatos’ arm. 

“I’ve met her,” he says, though allows himself to be led towards her. 

Zagreus’ smile softens slightly. “Yes, but I haven’t introduced you to her as my partner.” 

“Anything for you, my love,” Thanatos says with a smile of his own, words coming out before he realizes what he’s saying. 

Zagreus startles, turning towards Thanatos. “I - yes, to introduce you as my beloved,” he says. “Though I think she knows already.” 

“I don’t care if she knows, I just care that you know I love you.”

“I was sure after you gave me Mort,” Zagreus says. “But I suspected as much ever since you first confronted me on my escape attempts.” He gently squeezes Thanatos’ hand. “You ready?” 

Thanatos had not noticed Zagreus weaving through the crowd of shades here to pay their respects to the queen and now they were next to speak with her. 

Thanatos nodded and turned towards Queen Persephone, feeling ready to face anything in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> I know the fanon seems to be that Mort is a mouse, but I have pet rats, so he's always going to be a rat to me.


End file.
